Factors Influencing FDI Location Choice in China＇s Inland Areas

Since 1978, the bulk of foreign direct investment （FDI） has gone to the south-eastern coastal areas in China, with only a small portion received inland. With the launch of the Western Development Strategy in 2000 and the Central China Rising Strategy in 2004, the choice of investment locations has expanded to inland areas. Based on panel data covering 98 inland cities from 1999 to 2005, this study identifies location preference variables for FDI invested in China＇s inland areas, and finds that well-established factors such as natural resources and low labor costs are not important factors in determining FDI locations within China＇s inland. Instead, policy incentives and industrial agglomeration are the most important factors. The findings of the present study have policy implications for both host country authorities and multinational corporations.     

Analysis on the prospect of developing timeshare in Xi＇an

This paper introduces the concept of timeshare at first, and then, the SWOT model is used to analyze the feasibility of developing timeshare in Xi＇an. It provides the reliable basis for the train of the innovation and decision demonstration in the future.     

An Analysis of Southeast Asian Firms＇ Investment in China

Economic cooperation between China and Southeast Asian economies is increasingly attracting the attention of policy-makers, scholars, and practitioners. Firms from Southeast Asia have been playing an important role in China‘s utilization of foreign direct investment, though most of these firms have been viewed as small, labor-intensive, and ordinary in technology. This paper reveals one important dimension of economic cooperation between China and Southeast Asia. It investigates the factors that influence Southeast Asian firms‘ investments in Guangdong, which is one of the largest provinces in China in terms of utilization of foreign direct investment, and it tries to answer the question of what make Southeast Asian firms invest in China in a large scale and in the way of advancing waves.T he research outcomes contribute to the knowledge of the changing economic relations between China and Southeast Asia.     

Character of Chinese bankers＇ market and theoretical explanation

Chinese bankers have the characters of shifting between governments and banks departments, between different banks, promotion out of sudden as well as the ever-increasing fraud events. All the existent documents are displaying the shortcomings of Chinese bankers＇ systems. Their explanations give us the deep-root results and they plausibility besides convincing us that the evolution of commercialization of the Chinese bankers will be a long process.     

Review of the EU＇s Preliminary Assessment of China＇s Market Economy Status

In June 2004, the European Union (EU) made a decision on its preliminary assessment of China‘s market economy status (MES). After seriously studying the EU‘s preliminary assessment report, the Institute of Economic and Resources Management of Beijing Normal University made a review. We hold that the decision on the assessment fails to be fair and objective and is undermined by incorrect understanding and logical contradictions. However, the decision has still left some leeway for China‘s improvement and China needs to speed up in improving its market economy regime.     

New trends of the rural labor transfer in underdeveloped areas： A survey in Xinyang City of Henan Province

In the process of the urbanization, rural labor transfer presented some new trends either in its regional and trade distribution, or in its scale and stability. These trends have brought some negative effects on rural economy and society so that something must be done to eliminate them.     

China＇s Labor Transition and the Future of China＇s Rural Wages and Employment

This paper contributes to the assessment of China＇s rural labor markets. According to our data, the increase in off-farm employment that China experienced during the 1980s and 1990s continued during the 2000s. Our analysis shows that migration has become the most prevalent off-farm activity, although the destination of migrants is shifting from outside of one＇s province to destinations closer to home. The present paperfinds that large shares of male and female individuals, especially those under 40 years, are working off the farm. These findings represent an important contribution to the labor economics field. First, the results of the present paper reveal that the labor transition from the agricultural sector to the non-agricultural sector for key segments of China＇s rural labor force is nearly complete. Second, although a large share of China ＂s rural labor force work in agriculture, most of these workers are older men and women （and likely would not be willing to take low-wage, labor-intensive jobs）. Third, the rising unskilled wage rate in China is partially a result of the tightening of the labor force in the young age cohorts. Finally, due to factors associated with the one child policy and other demographic transition forces, successive age cohorts will continue to fall in absolute number in the coming decade. Assuming China＇s growth continues, we expect to see further wage increases since it will take higher wages to coax more workers to work off the farm.     

China＇s Economy in 2007/2008： Coping with Problems of Runaway Growth

Fuelled by high domestic investment and rapid export expansion, China ＂s economy grew by ll.4 pereent in 2007, the highest increase since 1994 and the fifth eonseeutive year of double-digit growth. Such spectacular growth performance is unprecedented in the world＇s economic history. However, the Chinese Government is again worried about a possible ＂hard landing＂for the economy, as no economy can sustain very strong growth for extremely long period without overheating. Cracks in China ＂s economy are indeed emerging. The eonsumer priee index shot up to 6.9percent in November 2007, the highest level in a decade, with the annual inflation for 2007 rising to 4.S pereent, well above the government＇s ＂comfort level＂ of 3 percent. This prompted China＇s top leadership to declare that reducing economic overheating and curbing inflation would be the top poliey priorities for 2008. To contain such cost-push inflation, the government has to tackle its root causes, such as excessive liquidity, which is caused by the undervaluation of the renminbi, which in turn is attributable to China＇s chronic external and internal maeroeeonomie imbalances~ High growth is likely to continue in 2008, at around l O pereent, with inflation of S-6 pereent expected, despite the anticipated tighter maeroeeonomie control measures and the more troubled external economic environment （e.g. the expected US economic slowdown）. Regardless, China ＂s fundamental problems associated with runaway growth will largely remain. In addition, if the US economy slips into a serious recession, the Chinese economy will not be able to deeouple from it and escape unscathed.     

The Reform of China＇s Rural Land System

This paper discusses the reform of China‘s rural land system in the past more than 20 years. It reviews the course of China‘s rural land system reform since 1978 and the enormous contribution that the household contract responsibility system made to China‘s agricultural and rural development. Then it summarizes the current situation and existing problems in China‘s rural land system. Finally, it offers some policy suggestions on how to perfect the rural land system.     

An Analysis of State-Owned Banks＇ Behavior in NPL Disposition

This paper examines the phenomenon whereby state-owned banks in China tend to not only reduce their non-performing loans(NPLs ) through accepting settled assets, but also overvalue and delay liquidating settled assets. The results imply that the state-owned banks exhibit an obvious book loss aversion behavior when disposing their NPLs, i.e. they minimize book loss and hide real credit loss by settling their NPLs with overvalued assets. This paper suggests that this results mainly from improper regulations, weak financial strength, and over-restrictions on NPL disposition. Since introducing a valuation allowance on settled assets, as suggested by the regulatory body, will not produce the desired effect, this paper proposes that a performance measurement and penalty mechanism based on non-performin gassets instead of NPLs will change the banks‘ attitude towards NPL-asset settlement. In addition, a new internal control method governing the entire process from settlement to liquidation is also suggested.     

Roots of Tomorrow＇s Digital Divide： Documenting Computer Use and Internet Access in China＇s Elementary Schools Today

This paper explores China＇s digital divide, with a focus on differences in access to computers, learning software, and the Internet at school and at home among different groups of elementary school children in China. The digital divide is examined in four different dimensions： （i） between students in urban public schools and students in rural public schools; （ii） between students in rural public schools and students in private migrant schools; （iii） between migrant students in urban public schools and migrant students in private migrant schools; and （iv） between students in Han-dominated rural areas and students in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. Using data from a set of large-scale surveys in schools in different parts of the country, we find a wide gap between computer and Internet access of students in rural areas and those in urban public schools. The gap widens further when comparing urban students to students from minority areas. The divide is also large between urban and rural schools when examining the quality of computer instruction and access to learning software. Migration does not appear to eliminate the digital divide, unless migrant families are able to enroll their children in urban public schools. The digital divide in elementary schools may have implications for future employment, education and income inequality in China.     

Different Roles of Land in Rural-Urban Migration： Evidence from China＇s Household Survey

This paper explores the influence of land holding on rural–urban migration using China's 2008 household survey data. It shows that the contradictory findings of existing published literature can be explained by introducing a migration distance variable. The empirical studies show that land holding plays a different role in short‐distance and long‐distance migration. Land holding has a U‐shaped curve association with the probability of short‐distance migration and has an inverted‐U‐shaped association with the probability of long‐distance migration. Therefore, the government needs to provide more job information and migration subsidies to farmers who have little land to overcome difficulties in the process of migration so as to reduce rural–urban inequality.     

Long-Term Development Trend of China＇s Economy and Importance of the Circular Economy

This paper aims to explore the solution to the contradiction between economic growth and resources and the eco-environment, based on an analysis of the features of China‘s economic development trend within a given future period, by promoting a new paradigm of technological economy, and speeding up development of the circular economy.     

Entrepreneurial Growth and the Perceived Quality of Environmental Factors in China

I. IntroductionEntrepreneurship study still remains at the theory-building stage (Wiseman and Skilton,1999). A recent review of fifteen years (1985-1999) of publication in the leading managementjournals resulted only 1.8 percent of articles in entrepreneurship (Busenitz et al., 2003),indicating the lack of entrepreneurship studies. This study attempts to add the growingliterature in this knowledge domain by presenting some preliminary findings ofentrepreneurship growth in China. Following th…     

Prediction of Labor Force＇s Supply and Demand in Urban Areas of China

In the recent years, with the promotion of reform and the exposing of some profound contradictions, the problem of unemployment is outstanding day by day and becomes an important problem in present China＇s economics. Based on the data offered by China Statistical Yearbook： 2003, the short-term supply and demand of labor force in urban areas of China is predicted in this paper.     

Analysis of the Adjustment of China＇s Fiscal Policy in 2005

The prudent fiscal policy adopted in 2005 is the result of adopting a series of measures to strengthen macro control in recent years. The process of implementation will be gradual.During this period, pushing forward reforms is the main focus of all the measures. Tax reform, social security system reform and rural reform will need the most emphasis.     

Symbolism in Ernest Hemingway＇s The Old Man and the Sea

Introduction： InThe Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway uses symbolism to portray the traits of the main characters in his stories. Many symbols are used to enable the reader to have a better look ond an easier understanding of what the book is about. The use of symbolism in his books provides deeper meaning like a lesson. Overall, Hemingway tends to place symbols, reader to look deeper into the obvious plot of the play.